By LENNY KOUPAL, CSU Communications Coordinator
When it came to choosing what she wanted to do with life after college, Michelle Harvey thought that standing at the front of a classroom probably wasn’t it.
“I was studying to be a teacher and a secondary education English and math double major. It was right before my senior year when I had this moment of ‘I don’t want to be in a classroom all day, every day.’ So, I kind of stepped back and thought about what I actually enjoyed the most about my college experience.”
‘I kind of stepped back and thought about what I actually enjoyed the most about my college experience.’
– Michelle Harvey
Harvey, the new assistant director of Leadership, Recognized Student Organizations and Nontraditional Students within Student Activities, said that moment of clarity led her to the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and back to the Midwest before accepting her December appointment at Minnesota State Mankato.
As with so many students who shape careers around their college involvements, Harvey said her undergraduate experiences at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa, were life-changing. Involved as a Resident Assistant and campus tour guide, Harvey also gained valuable leadership experience through various student organizations and clubs.
“And I thought, you know what, I actually have my fingers in all aspects of the university and people do this for a job,” Harvey recalled. “So maybe I should look into this a little bit.”
To test her theory, Harvey started applying for admissions and resident hall positions prior to graduating from Morningside.
She landed at Buena Vista University in nearby Storm Lake, Iowa, where she was a residence hall director. During her four years there, Harvey also coordinated the wellness program that included alcohol awareness.
Confident that working in student life was a good fit, Harvey pursued her master’s degree in college student development at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
‘I worked with a leadership team which is similar somewhat in concept to the Maverick Involvement Team.’
– Michelle Harvey
“There I was able to do practicums and internships with the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership,” she said. “I worked with a leadership team which is similar somewhat in concept to the Maverick Involvement Team.”
It was through that involvement that Harvey directed her career focus to leadership training. With her graduate degree in hand, Harvey remained in North Carolina where she worked in res life, student activities and leadership at Brevard College.
Two years later, she accepted the position of Assistant Dean of Community Development at Brevard before hearing a personal call to return to her Midwest roots.
A native of Miller, S.D., Harvey split the difference and moved to Macomb, Ill., and Western Illinois University where she worked with three graduate students to coordinate programs in leadership, service and student organizations.
“I would say, out of all of my experiences, that structure and style is probably most close to Minnesota State University. It was in an Office of Student Activities that looked very similar with Greek Life, service, Student Events Team—the makeup was very similar.”
Three years later, Harvey accepted her position at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D.
“At Augustana, I started working with student orgs, leadership and some service components. We tweaked our structure every year,” Harvey said.
Eventually, her work morphed into managing the creation of a Student Engagement Office. Along the way, Harvey coordinated a student team planning annual fall Welcome Week activities.
Harvey sees her newest position as paring back to her true passion for leadership development.
‘I have a bigger opportunity to determine what a leadership program looks like–what are the needs and the components–and what’s the philosophical framework of the leadership program.’
– Michelle Harvey
“I have a bigger opportunity to determine what a leadership program looks like–what are the needs and the components–and what’s the philosophical framework of the leadership program,” she said.
Along with helping student organizations be successful, Harvey said she has the added bonus of work with nontraditional students.
“That’s an area where I get to learn and think about a different topic that I haven’t specifically thought about before,” Harvey added.
As she steps into her new role, Harvey looks forward to listening—and learning—from students as she molds ongoing, cohesive programming for student leadership, RSOs and nontraditional students. To do that she will be relying on her personal strengths—includer, arranger connectedness, learner and achiever.
‘I want to make sure students feel heard. I want to bring people together and I want to try new ways of doing things that haven’t been done before.’
– Michelle Harvey
“I think I look for connections and I see connections in different places whether that’s, like, topical connections or trying to connect people. I also like to try new ways of doing things, so that’s the arranger in me,” she explained. “With the includer, I want to make sure other people have input in decisions.”
Blend those strengths and experiences and Harvey is ready to offer her personal passion and honed talents for enhancing students’ college experiences.
“So, I think I kind of combine all those together when I approach leadership development or working with student orgs,” Harvey said. “I want to make sure students feel heard. I want to bring people together and I want to try new ways of doing things that haven’t been done before.”
